If you
would find yourself in the Forest of
Contamar of Blain Woods, chances are you might spot a snake unlike any
other. A snake with fur; snow-white if it is as cold as usual and golden if a
tiny, lousy, bit of warmth is in the air. This
creature is called a "Snynx". When icy winds
blow through the hrugchuck grass,
the snynx will keep on its business while other snakes would have frozen stiff.
The origin of the word 'Snynx' is unknown, but may possibly be related to the
local elven name for the creature 'Ermyníc'.

Appearance.The Snynx is a snake
covered with soft, snow-white or golden brown fur. It has no legs and it
slithers fluidly along the ground, in sinuous coils.

The Snynx's head has a serpentine shape, slightly offset from the neck. The
eyes, on the other hand, are decidedly non-reptilian, large, shining with
liquid, and black, reminiscent to those of a fox or a
deer. At the back of the head, the Snynx has a pair of
feathery antennae, supposedly used for communicating with other Snynxes. They
are moved about much like a pair of cat's ears. Snynxes have sharp fangs without
poisonous qualities and forked, black, tongues. A Snynx moves its tongue to
taste the air, so fast it seems to be but a
blur.

The fur is thick and white in the winter, and slightly thinner and golden in the
summer. If no warmth is received in the spring, the Snynxes keep their white
coats. The exception to this are certain permanently white Snynxes bred by
Malysan in captivity. A special oil from the glands at the end of the tail is
used to keep the fur glossy and soft, allowing the Snynx to glide smoothly along
the ground.

The skeletal structure shows a long, slender, flexible spine. The jaw can be
dislocated from the skull, allowing the Snynx to consume prey that would seem
too large to fit in its long, slender, throat. It has been observed that some
larger Snynx can open their jaws wide enough to swallow a
shupsh whole.

Snynxes grow to reach, on average, two
peds in length. A few longer
specimens have been seen by hunters. Female Snynxes are larger than males,
without anyone knowing why that is, but otherwise they are similar in
appearance.

Special Abilities.
The Snynx's thick fur and skin allow it to withstand bites of furious mother
mice trying to defend their nests, as well as offering some protection against
other injury.

Snynxes are not limited to hunting at ground level. These creatures are able
swimmers, climbers and burrowers, enabling them to diversify their diet. When
floating on the surface of water, their oiled fur is water-repellent. Snynxes
have been seen in both bushes and trees, stretching their bodies from fixed
points, then drawing them together before pushing out again, wormlike. They wrap
their bodies around branches and stretch for others. This is what makes snynxes
such excellent climbers. The slender body makes movement underground an easy
task. Tunnels that would be inaccessible to broader creatures only make their
fine coats dirty.

Territory.
The Snynxes' main territory is the Peninsula of Iol, particularly along the west
coast. They will be seen aplenty in the
Forest of
Contamar,
Blain Woods and as far as the Lofty Lake, but are a rare sight beyond that. They
like to hide in the
hrugchuck grass,
but the easiest way to spot them is when they climb trees or the occasional
boulder.

Habitat/Behaviour.
Unlike other snakes, Snynxes don't hibernate. The fur is thought to be the
reason to this; if one have a coat, one doesn't need to stay indoors during the
winter.

The Snynx typically uses several dens for ordinary sleep, often taken from prey
species. Any self-made nests are made of whatever soft materials found in the
frozen world in which the Snynxes live, in hollow trunks, river banks, rock
crevices or thickets. Snynxes usually are the most active during the day. During
the mating season, or in warmer areas, they may be active during the night.

Snynxes are silent hunters and can approach without a sound, then rush upon
their prey. The slender body allows them to easily enter underground burrows.
Snynxes do spend a lot of time under frozen logs, rocks, or underground in rock
openings or rodent burrows, but they are also able to climb. Snynxes kill their
prey by constriction, wrapping their bodies around the unfortunate creatures
they come across.

Larger carnivores eat Snynxes, particularly the nasty eagles. If feeling
defensive, Snynxes may roll up into balls, biting as swiftly as lightning and
hissing loudly.

Diet.
Being carnivorous, Snynxes will hunt for
hrugchuck and
field mice, fish, nesting birds, bird eggs and
insects. Baby mice are the favorite prey. Snynxes kill their prey by
constriction, wrapping their body around them until their hearts stop and they
can’t breathe. Snynxes can constrict multiple prey simultaneously, though that
has only rarely been seen. Prey above ground is stalked silently through the
hrugchuck grass
and ambushed.

Mating.
Snynxes give birth to live young that don't suckle. Instead, the young are fed
baby mice, though they eat surprisingly little.
Snynxes breed once a year, around
Singing Bird or Rising Sun.
When mating, the male will climb onto the female, teasingly rubbing her body and
enticing her with seductive hisses. The actual copulation is usually over in
less than an hour. The pair remain together for a week or more, mating several
times. Then the male leaves, as he doesn't assist in caring for the young.

A litter of 3-8 young is produced in late autumn, allowing the family to nestle
together during the winter. The babies are born a fore long, with white, silky
fur and huddle together. The nest is lined with fur from animals that the mother
Snynx has killed. The young leave in spring, hoping for warm weather, but they
are not mature until they reach their third year.
Usages.
In rare cases, Snynxes may used as pets. The reason for this rarity is their
geographically concentrated territory in a forgotten corner of Northern
Santharia. As pets, Snynxes are docile and
seldom bite. When being picked up, a tame Snynx will gently wrap around the
holder's arm.

The Evanthorhim elves have a special relation to Snynxes, living side by side
with them. While some might be shocked by the notion of giving snakes to
children, that doesn't bother the Evanthorhim. They are wary of keeping them
with infant children, though, lest an accident should happen.

The Evanthorhim rarely eat Snynx, as there isn't much flesh on the creatures.
Instead, the fur is used to make caps, mittens and muffs. If the fur is going to
be used for anything larger, more than one Snynx has to give its life -
considered a waste by the elves since larger creatures are available.

Researchers. Malysan of the Evanthorhim is to receive credit for
all the information provided of Snynxes here, few having the patience or
inclination to travel to the Snynxes' domain. Malysan is a breeder of a special
strain of Snynxes that remain white despite the shifting of the seasons. He has
been kind enough to tell us of how his grandmother, Guinilla, found the first
permanently white Snynx. Here is a rough translation of his words:

It was an unusually warm summer, many years ago.
Guinilla set out from her home village to scout for game. No movement, no
breath of wind nor any buzzing insect escaped her notice, for she was an
apt huntress. The sun peeked between the clouds and a family of five
eagles flew in and lined themselves up on some cracked boulders among the
icy roots of the Phéran'Exhonanhé, the frozen trees.

Guinilla continued her watch of the area and then came back to the eagles.
As she brought her eyes back onto them, she suddenly leaned forward and
stared intently at a small depression among the frozen cobwebs of roots.
Just emerging from a burrow was a Snynx. She didn't waste any time in
shooting the eagles and ran down to collect it. The Snynx was a beautiful
young male about a ped long with thick, white, fur, despite the summer
breeze. Closer examination of where the eagles were perched revealed many
pellets containing Snynx bones around the boulders. This was a regular
hunting site for the eagles and Guinilla had just saved the little
creature from being breakfast!